Rivera Takes Plea Deal in Rape Case

Today a hearing was held at the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles, IL for former ACNA lay catechist Mark Rivera. Rivera held the position of catechist in the Upper Midwest Diocese from 2013-2019, and prior to that performed various lay leader roles at the UMD’s Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, IL for nearly 2 decades. Rivera was charged with two counts of criminal sexual assault of a victim unable to give knowing consent. Today he agreed to a plea deal for one of the charges and will accept a 6-year sentence per that deal.

On December 15, 2022, Rivera was convicted on 5 felony counts related to child sexual abuse. Two were class X felonies of predatory sexual assault of a victim under 13 years old, and three were class 2 felonies of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim under 13. On March 6, 2023, Judge John Barsanti sentenced Rivera to a total of 15 years for these 5 counts. Following today’s hearing, Rivera’s sentences will total 21 years, though under Illinois law, he will only serve a total of 14 years in prison for both cases. 

Mark Rivera’s time in prison will never give back to his victims all that they suffered from his abuse. However, it will mean that he will not be able to continue to harm those outside. The guaranteed protection of others is a measure of justice for which his victims have bravely sacrificed years of their lives and immense amounts of time and energy. Today they celebrate a victory.

ACNAtoo continues to work on behalf of victims of abuse and to support them as they reclaim their voices. It is our desire that churches will create best-practice policies to prevent abusers from having power and access within their communities. We hope that those who have become familiar with this case will campaign strongly for their churches to form structures that are ready to properly address situations of abuse in ways that support and protect victims.